Delta Farm Press
by Hembree Brandon in Farm Press Blog
Jan. 20, 2012 8:26am
The nation's highway system continues its downward spiral of deterioration, while money for repairs and new construction declines. Like everything else associated with government, the system has been operating at a huge deficit.
If you even occasionally drive on the highway system, you’re aware of the execrable condition of the nation’s roadways: potholes everywhere, patches galore, uneven/buckled pavement — it’s a heckuva note when you have to spend as much time on the lookout for highway hazards as for traffic.
The highway system continues its downward spiral of deterioration, while money for repairs and new construction declines.
By far the largest chunk of money spent on the nation’s transportation system comes from the federal Highway Trust Fund, which is funded by the federal gasoline tax of 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel.
But like everything else associated with government, the system has been operating at a huge deficit. In fiscal 2011, transportation spending was pegged at about $80 billion, while income from transportation excise taxes generated less than half that, about $37.5 billion. The difference was made up from increases to the national debt... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Fri, January 20, 2012
by John Cox